Page 42 - Living Aloha Magazine January February 2017 Issue

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a report by Down To Earth:

diet-related illness Cost u.s.

economy $1 trillion annually!

DireCT aND iNDireCT COSTS OF POOr DieT aDD uP NaTiONally aND PerSONally

Down to Earth found that the U.S.’s Sabra found that the average couple “Diet-related diseases are costly and
top five diet-related chronic diseases retiring in 2016 at age 65 will need preventable, so the message is clear.
cost the U.S. economy a staggering $1 $260,000 to cover medical costs Eat healthier now or pay later for
trillion each year! This is an estimate in retirement. This holds whether increased health care costs.” Sabra
of direct medical costs and the the couple has bought Medicare explains that major scientific and
indirect impact of productivity losses supplemental insurance or not, medical institutions in the world agree
due to illness and premature death according to Fidelity. that the risk of heart disease, cancer,
associated with chronic heart disease
and stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity, Impact of Diet-Related Illness on U.S. Economy
and osteoporosis.
“In observance of October World Disease Date Source Cost
Vegetarian Awareness Month, we (In Billions)*
wanted to understand the economic Cardiovascular and
impact of a poor diet,” says Sabra stroke (2016) American Heart Association $320.1
Rebo, who is a registered dietitian and
Down to Earth’s community outreach Cancer (2009) American Cancer Society 216.6
team leader. “We were astounded by
what we learned.” American Diabetes
Diabetes (2013) 245
Her findings are based on the most Association
currently available estimates from
related health and governmental Obesity (2015) State of Obesity 210
sources (See side bar).
Osteoporosis National Osteoporosis
Sabra adds, “A healthy diet is not only (2016) Foundation 19
good for the nation’s economy, it’s
also good for one’s personal health.” Total $1010.70
According to an annual estimate by * These numbers are not conclusive, as they come from different online, albeit reliable,
Fidelity Investments, which has been sources that used different methodologies to calculate their estimates, and they reflect
tracking healthcare costs for decades, different time frames. To see a footnoted version of this chart visit http://d2e.co/Health-Costs

42 OAHU Living Aloha | JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2017